Edwards Health Care Plan

I see one glaring omission.

The text of the plan says that only about 55% of patients get appropriate care, and goes on to mention medication errors and delayed or mistaken lab results. Seems to me these things are usually the result of under-staffing. Likewise the long wait times, impersonal care and the simple mistakes made when the doctor or nurse has only 10 minutes to talk with and diagnose each patient.

We already have too few nurses and doctors to meet current needs, with no signs of relief on the horizon. Increasing the number of insured people without taking corresponding measures to bolster the health care infrastructure will only ensure that everyone gets substandard care. While substandard care is certainly an advantage for those who currently have no care, it's likely to create resentment among those who are currently insured. They are already experiencing longer wait times for a doctor, fewer nurses, and decreased availability of certain types of specialized practitioners. Adding 40 million plus people to the ranks of the insured will only exacerbate the problem. Longer wait times and diluted care could potentially alienate much of the middle class (for whom the quality of care is likely to suffer most), and keep them from embracing the real advantages of Edwards plan.

I'd like to see a provision within the plan to offer more grants to those interested in studying medicine and nursing, as well as some programs for exposing junior high and high school kids to careers in medicine. Some incentives for adults to study nursing, and for experienced nurses to transition into retirement by way of teaching would also be useful. Federal grants to help community colleges develop more nursing programs, and help existing nursing schools to recruit faculty and increase classroom space makes good sense, since tens of thousands of qualified applicants are being turned away every year.

It also wouldn't hurt to work up some ideas for reducing medical malpractice insurance. Tort reform wouldn't be a bad place to start. Although Dems tend to avoid it (and largely vote against it each time it comes up), it does seem a necessary issue to tackle.


A good place to read about tort reform: